Corruption
by EthernalRain
Summary: This is the story of a soul that resides in a body that doesn't belong to him. Named The Weapon by Arfoire, and Rouge by Histoire, he is forced to make a choice. Follow the orders his body was altered for, or carry out the mission his soul was made for.
1. Chapter 1: Going Viral

**Corruption**

**Chapter 1**

**Going Viral**

**A Hyperdimension Neptunia Story**

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><p><strong>... I'm doing this. After playing Hyperdimension Neptunia, and reading the very few stories here on the site, I've gotten the inspiration to do this. And I'm doing it.<strong>

**Here's the base summary that I couldn't fit on the webpage summary:**

**The base function of a virus is to corrupt the CPU, to impede it's functioning, or outright destroy it.**

**A very unlucky Basilicom monster hunter died on a job in Planeptune. That wasn't exactly so. The more sentiment sort of monsters brought his body to Arfoire, and she proceeded with her new plan against her foes. The construction of a Virus CPU. She outfitted his body with weapons, knowledge and data.**

**She designed him to be a killing machine, a weapon for her use. She created a mental link to control her new puppet, and set him to use. First, plague a few towns. Next, train and prepare for battle. Finally, get revenge. To destroy the Goddesses.**

**During the second phase of her orders, Histoire became aware of his existence, and enacted a counter plan. Establishing her own mental link to the man-turned-weapon, she inserted a new CPU she designed, an Anti-Virus CPU. This consciousness was young, and completely independent with a will of his own, and different in most aspects from the consciousness of Basilicom hunter that died. He was intelligent, yes, as he knew something was wrong when Arfoire began sending him orders again.**

**He was afraid, alone in a world he didn't know his place in. He was a consciousness made to be innocent, but fierce and ruthless when necessary. He knew that he lived in someone else's body. He earned the memories of what the Virus had done.**

**He felt ashamed, responsible for it's actions. Yet he was still forced to comply to Arfoire's orders. Knowing her counter plan had failed, Histoire initiated another one. The Anti-Virus CPU, named The Weapon by Arfoire and Rouge by Histoire, became the object of a vicious game of tug-of-war. After a few years of existence, the mental and physical strain became unbearable.**

**He had two possible choices. Stay alive and attempt to fight off Arfoire's will and control with Histoire's help, or simply die and make Arfoire lose a valuable weapon and asset. He chose death. No matter how much Histoire tried to convince him that it wasn't his last option, but after a failed lapse of her help against Arfoire, he had ravaged a town on Leanbox, leaving few survivors.**

**He would rather die. He pulled a knife from a sheath during a heavy mental battle between Arfoire and Histoire, and plunged it into his chest. He lay dying on the ground, in the forest of Leanbox. It would all be over soon, he told himself.**

**That wouldn't be the case. Because he just coincidentally crossed the path that a certain Goddess named Green Heart took for a nature walk at least once a week. And she refused to let him die.**

**So… Now, you know the base plot introduction, let's get started! Though maybe I should have edited it... The story starts off from the beginning of the story summary... Aw well, screw it. What's done is done.**

**So...  
><strong>

**LET'S DO THIS!**

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><p>Reynald was <em><strong>not<strong>_ having a good day. He knew he shouldn't have gone to Planeptune for this job. As a Basilicom agent that was born on Lastation, he should have stayed there for a living. But no, he had to go to Planeptune for the "opportunities".

And now, he was here, in an abandoned laboratory of a dungeon, about to get himself killed in a futile attempt at earning credits. About a few dozen monsters surrounded him; he was on his last leg, out of healing related items, backed into a corner, with a gun in one hand, a faithful red and black bladed katana in the other.

"Damn it." He swore. He was completely out of ammo. He holstered his gun, holding his sword out. He glared at the monsters surrounding him tentatively, unsure of how to proceed.

The first monster prowled toward him, fangs glistening in the dim lighting. It leaped at him, mouth wide and prepared to rip out his throat. Reynald stepped forward, catching it in the chin with the pommel of his sword. It fell to the ground, where he shoved his sword right into its eye socket.

More monsters ran at him, and he kept them away with more sweeps of his sword.

"**WHY WON'T YOU ALL DIE?-!**" He roared, the mass of monsters still coming at him. When he felled one, another would take its place and attempt to kill him. _**Goddesses, help me.**_ He prayed in his thoughts.

He cut off the arm of a monster preparing to slice him with its claws, pivoting in his position to cleave off another monsters head. The resulting blood spray blinded a few of the monsters, and he struck them down as they were distracted. He fought like a rabid animal, like one of the monsters that tried to kill him. Hey, if it worked, it worked.

A haymaker from some monsters fist winded him, sending him flying. He hit the wall of the laboratory hard, sliding to the ground in a trail of blood. He couldn't feel his legs... He saw a bulge in his pocket.

He reached in, pulling it out. A last magazine of fire bullets. _**Lucky**_, he thought to himself. If he died here, he was taking everything else out in a blaze of glory.

He ejected the magazine, and threw it at a monster's face. It hit dead on, making the monster flinch. A swift motion later, he slid the full magazine into his gun, cocked it, and aimed it at the monster. He pulled the trigger.

A short bang later, the monster had a hole in its head and went up in flames. "**BURN, BITCHES, BURN!**" He laughed in a strangled voice, pain burning his lower body as flames burned the monsters around him. He kept shooting, monster after monster fell, and a wall of flames surrounded him, keeping the monsters at bay.

_**Goddesses protect me.**_ He prayed once more, staring into the flames.

Before becoming a monster hunter, he was a part time worker for one of the founding companies of Avenir, which was a small time company during his high school years, but a huge ass conglomerate today. He worked for decent pay, until an accident at the factory he worked at left the place up in flames, and most of the workers dead. After the getting over the trauma, he hated the pitying looks people gave him when they saw him. As soon as he graduated high school, he said goodbye to his family, and went to travel the world with the Guild, as part of the Moderatist faction, personally worshipping Lady Green Heart.

He was publicly a Lastation Basilicom monster hunter who traveled to keep relations up with other Basilicoms, but in fact he "secretly" supported the Guild, completely against the Basilicom's persecution of them. His life was half working for the Basilicom, and living life as a guild member. He preferred the life that the guild offered, but he really needed the money from the Basilicom job to sustain his lifestyle. So keeping both jobs was essential.

He made quite a few friends over his travels. He learned to fight monsters, and began to love the thrills of dungeons and hunting for treasure. He felt sad, almost miserable at that moment, at the fact that it might all end today. Hopefully someone would keep his small but well-known reputation and legacy alive.

Maybe IF would, she owed him one after that treasure hunting incident on Lowee, near Guild City... He had saved her from a pack of Yetis after she went exploring... Her debt to him increased even more after he got her a pair of tickets to a 5pb concert... Though she did bail him out of this bar fight a few nights ago when they had arrived together on Planeptune...

Hopefully the Guild and/or the Basilicom would do something in his memory... But more than likely they'll just state him as MIA. It happened to many people in the Guild and the monster hunters of the Basilicom, to go missing in action, but most of us knew what it probably met. Change the M to a K, in MIA, and you've got the right answer.

**Killed in action.** A common fate in his profession, but still an unpleasant one...

"Someone save me..." He murmured quietly.

A monster finally grew a pair of balls, and walked through the flame. It was hurt for a while, but stalked toward the almost dead man on the ground. It picked him up by the neck, staring into his eyes.

"**Fuck you.**" Reynald spat then spit saliva in its face. The monster roared, reeling a bladed fist back.

_**Goddesses, save me... **_He thought. The monsters fist flew forward.

**Stab.**

The blade impaled Reynald through the chest, spearing him through the heart. He died instantly. The monster let go, and walked away. The body of the monster hunter lay lifeless and crumpled on the ground.

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><p>"Here it is... The body of Reynald the Monster Exterminator... You've been quite the thorn in my side, but look at you now... Dead as a door nail and ripped to shreds."<p>

A grey skinned, purple haired woman in gothic clothing prodded Reynald's body with her foot.

"At least your body is still more or less intact, from the preservation systems of this laboratory... I have quite the use for you. You there. Pick him up." She barked at a monster. The monster picked him up. "Bring him to our headquarters."

She turned around on her heel, and walked away. Her name was Arfoire. And she had quite the plan in store for what was left of Reynald.

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><p>"The research is almost complete." A scientist said to Arfoire, looking up at Reynald's body which was floating in a tube. "He will be ready soon for deployment."<p>

"What has he been outfitted with?" Arfoire asked.

"Currently we have included weapon systems, neural implants, physical augmentations, but without sentience, he's simply a massively modified corpse." The scientist explained to Arfoire.

"Then I'll include a sentience... An AI... A Virus CPU." She grinned.

"My lady, if I may ask, what do you intend to accomplish with this weapon?" The scientist asked her.

"Of course, but shouldn't it be obvious?" Arfoire said, marvelling at the creation before her.

"I'm sorry, but I do not know what you mean? What are your intentions?"

"To destroy the goddesses!" She laughed evilly.

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><p>"We're ready to activate him."<p>

"Best now since Histoire has been unsealed. We can progress with the plan earlier. Alright, proceed."

The scientist ran over to a panel, and a hologram appeared before him. He tapped a few holographic keys, typing in his password. Then when he was granted access, he checked over the subjects vitals. He was physically alive and reanimated, but psychologically dead, as if in a coma. Time to wake him up...

"Subject 001... Going Viral, in three... Two... One... Activate."

The subject twitched, showing its first movement in a long time. Its mouth reared open, and roared. Its muscles flexed, body convulsing as if it were in pain. It morphed for a split second before returning to human form. It grabbed it's head, continuing to roar.

"Excellent!" Arfoire said. "Awaken, My Weapon!" She shouted. "**Awaken!**"

Its eyes opened, blood red with segmented Xs and dots in the center of the eye for pupils. Gone was Reynald, Basilicom hunter and loyal Guild member. All was left was this weapon, wearing his body, his appearance. All that was left was this Virus.

Its eyes drifted to Arfoire. Words appearing in his HUD labelled her as Master. The tube drained of fluid, leaving him on the bottom, kneeling before Arfoire.

"_**Awaiting orders... Master.**_" It said in a blank tone, its eyes glinting with an ominous glow.

"Then... I order you to..."

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><p>The Weapon stood at the main square of a town on Lowee. Holding his sword, soaked with blood, he set about planting evidence pointing to a monster attack. To the rest of the world, this town was attacked by monsters. Not a person.<p>

If you could even count what attacked them as human. The weapon returned to Arfoire's hideout on the same landmass, and kneeled before her.

"Mission complete, Master." He said to her.

"Good work. That's the 12th town so far..."

"What are my new orders?"

"Train. Become strong, My Weapon. Become strong enough to enact my wrath amongst the goddesses. Do you understand?"

"Affirmative."

"Go. Complete your orders until I have new ones."

He nodded, standing. "I will become strong for you my Lady."

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><p>Histoire looked worriedly at video evidence from a town of Planeptune. She watched what this "man" did when he attacked a town. It was a monster, attacking and killing people. Then, even more worrying to her, Arfoire appeared. And finally, the icing on her heart attack cake, the thing referred to her as "Master".<p>

"I have to stop this mindless machine..." She said. "It's a drone, a weapon made from a human body. It has a consciousness... Can that consciousness be overwritten?"

Her eyes widen. "That's it! Maybe it can be overwritten!" Ideas flowed into her head.

"She called it the Virus CPU... Maybe I can make an Anti-Virus CPU."

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><p>"Why does Histy want us to plant this little machine thing?" Neptune asked IF, as they patrolled the outskirts of a town on Lastation.<p>

"For some reason." She replied, "I don't know exactly, but it might be important."

Neptune took a shovel, and began digging. Then, as if she was planting a tree, she put a block-like machine into the ground.

"There, we're done. Now let's find Compa. Hopefully no monsters are bothering her..."

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><p>The Weapon stood, facing the town on Lastation. Ironically, it was his home, his body's home, anyway. He walked forward, ready to start his mission of destruction. What he didn't notice, was triggering a laser tripwire during his step.<p>

He fell to his knees, grabbing his head. Numbers and flickers of data flashed before his eyes. Pain riddled through his head, his mind felt like it was being soaked with oil and then set alight in the middle of a bonfire. He roared as images and commands alerted him to what was going on.

**Firewalls being cracked, Intruder in the System- Firewalls shut down. Authorization over written. Installation of foreign program proceeding.**

His mind felt like it was being ripped apart. The mind of the Virus was being shredded, erased. Soon, it would be gone. And something new would be in its place.

**Installation Complete. **

_**Welcome to the world... I think I'll call you Rouge.**_ A voice said in his mind.

"Rouge..." The newly born consciousness murmured. "What are you...? What am I...?"

_**My name is Histoire. I am a True Goddess. And I created you, to do two things.**_

"And those things are...?" He asked, data flourishing in his mind to provide him with new information.

_**To fight Arfoire... And to protect the Goddesses.**_

"Goddesses...?" The data informed him about the goddesses of Gamindustri.

**Classification: Eliminate- Overwritten. Classification: Protect. **Those words flashed before his eyes.

"Affirmative." He said, blinking. "Or is it, "I understand?"... What's the right one?" He asked.

_**... You have a lot of learning to do. Here, just wait.**_

His mind felt like it burst into flame again, as information downloaded and branded itself into his memory. When the burning feeling stopped, he breathed heavily, falling to the ground.

"What... The... Fuck?"

_**... Hm... Swear words. You're going to be much like Blanc... I think she'll like you when you meet.**_

"So you created me?" He asked the voice named Histoire.

_**Yes, I did.**_

"So... What now? What do... I do?" He asked, speaking slowly as his newfound intelligence taught him some more things. "Am I... A puppet? A... A weapon?"

_**No. Of course not. You're your own person, your own thoughts. I will not treat you as my puppet, and I sure will not treat you as a weapon.**_

"What do I do now?"

_**I would say train... But you are strong already... So for now... I'd say for you to... I would like you to live.**_

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><p>Rouge sat in an apartment on Planeptune, watching the TV intently. So much was new to him, and he found out that he liked so many things. Sweets were one, weapons were another, monster killing and treasure hunting were a must, and as secret he kept even from Histoire, he had a secret thing for soap operas.<p>

One of which, he was watching right now. He munched on popcorn as he watched the main character reunite for the fifth time with his fellow colleague/best friend/sister's murderer/love interest. It taught him a quite lot about human interactions. Though he did have to clarify a few of them with Histoire, but those mental conversations were awkward.

It was two weeks from his "birth", the day he was installed into this body. Not being ordered around was nice, but the memories of his Virus self... They made him sick. He watched the things that it had done at night, when instead of dreaming, he delved into a digital consciousness, where it felt like he was using a virtual reality computer.

And when he woke up, he felt ashamed, horrible; he wanted it to be gone, to erase "his" deeds from the world. He was made to be innocent, a protector. Not a murderer. But blood was on his hands.

They weren't his hands before, but they were now. "He" essentially was responsible for those crimes, those deaths, those murders. "He" made himself sick. He turned the TV off as the end credits rolled.

He swept the crumbs of popcorn from his shirt, and wiped the oil from his face. He leaned back into his bed, looking at the roof.

"Histoire? Are you there?"

_**Yes Rouge?**_

"What's going to happen now?"

_**We wait for Arfoire to do something.**_

"Alright." He agreed.

_**So, what have you been up to?**_

"Hunting monsters, eating food, watching TV." I reply.

_**What kind of TV do you watch?**_

"Some Lastation hospital drama called Drey's Anatomy."

_**Oh really? A soap opera?**_ She sounded surprised.

"It's a nice show, a change from all the games I've played and the anime I've started to watch." I point out.

_**You're turning into a male version of Green Heart...**_ She giggled over the mental connection.

"No... I just like entertainment media." I reply. "I'm not going to develop huge boobs overnight! ... Or am I?"

_**And you're turning into a male version of Compa as well...**_

"Who's Compa?"

_**This innocent, dense little nurse-in-training that's travelling with Neptune and IF.**_

"IF... The name sounds familiar." He muses. A twinge of pain struck his head. He grabbed it with his hands, groaning as he saw images flash through his mind.

_He stood on a cliff, marvelling at the enormous futuristic city below._

"_Come on Iffy! We've got arcades to visit!" He shouted over to his companion._

"_Don't call me Iffy!" A shorter brown haired girl with dark green eyes and a bow in her hair walked up to him. She smacked his arm, scowling at her makeshift nickname._

"_It suits you though." He points out, laughing._

"_Why am I travelling with you again?"_

"_Well, we worship the same goddess, we're Guild members, we're friends, you owe me a few favours, and a few more that I've run out of fingers to count on." He said, counting the fingers on his left hand for emphasis. She grumbled. "So, what are your plans on this landmass?" He asked her._

"_Treasure hunting." She said. "I hear I can find something here. What about you?"_

"_Monster hunting, Basilicom business, arcades, etc." He grinned. "Come on Iffy, let's go to a bar. I'm thirsty."_

"_And I'm underage." She pointed out._

"_So? I'll cover." He still kept up his grin, and began to walk for the city._

"_The same irresponsible Reynald... That attitude's probably going to get you killed someday, you know that?"_

"_I know... I know..."_

Rouge took deep breaths as he watched the scene unfold. What the hell was going on? He saw that girl... IF...

Was this his past? But he didn't have a past! He was a CPU in some weapon's body! But that weapon was a corpse...

And that corpse used to be a living person... So were these flashbacks... His memories? Rouge rubbed his head, which was still pounding with pain.

_**Rouge! Are you okay?**_

"I'm fine- Actually... I don't know..."

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><p>Rouge stood in an abandoned castle on Leanbox, cutting away monsters with his katana. It was fun, it was simple, and it brought him back to a primal instinct. He didn't know whether those instincts came from his body, the Virus or the human being. Or maybe they came from him...<p>

He kicked a monster away, and sliced it in half with a sweep of his sword. He kicked the still bleeding carcass at another monster, causing it to trip. As its face met ground, it also met his foot. He stomped its skull flat, instantly killing it.

Whipping out his gun, he fired bullets into the next few monsters, dropping them to the ground, dead. Finishing off the last monster, he set off for the boss. He was doing excellently. Hopefully he wouldn't have to use _**that.**_

He entered an enormous room, looking around. It was a perfect and cliché place for an epic boss battle. He played enough RPGs and action games to know that. He walked to the center of the room, looking around.

"Play." An epic soundtrack played in his ears. He smiled. Histoire had good taste in music. Also, he loved her for installing an mp3 function in his head.

That was a rather nice perk alongside the HUD.

**ROOAAAAAAAR!**

He raised his head. Flapping there, was a huge red dragon. Typical monster boss here on Leanbox, dragons were somewhat common. Though there was a possibility that this was some undiscovered type. He rolled to the side to dodge a swath of flame.

Well, he was screwed here. He didn't think he had enough bullets to take such a thing down, and well, without _**that**_,he couldn't even scratch it. He ran around and around the room in circles, dodging flames. He fired back with his gun, water bullets hurting it slightly, but not enough.

He would run out soon. The dragon swooped down, ready to charge. He jumped to the left, holding his katana to the side. As the dragon flew past him, he carved his sword into its side, cutting a long line into its skin.

It roared in pain, swinging its tail at Rouge. The tail caught him in the chest, sending him flying upwards. The dragon aimed it's mouth at him, prepared to eat him. He couldn't even dodge.

Self preservation temporarily outweighed morality. He was going to use _**it**_.

"**Corruption Drive.**"

He raised his hand at the dragon; a white disc radiating a black flame appeared before him.

"**Execute.**" The disc began to spin. It turned into a ball of grey light that flew into his palm. Pain rocketed through his body, as if someone stabbed hundreds of white hot nails upon every inch of him. The pain would make a normal human insane.

But he was no normal human. His body began to pulse, morphing. The pain continued as he changed shape. Armor appeared on his body as bugs and glitches appeared in reality.

His back bulged, and his clothes phased to allow misshapen half mechanical and half organic wings to grow out of his back. Tears fell down his face as his body finished the transformation. He looked barely human, with the exception of parts of his body. This was the body of a virus that plagued reality.

This was the true form of the Virus CPU.

The pupil in his right eye snapped to the left, the segmented X now a crosshair. "**Target Locked. Eliminate.**_" _He said in a blank, mechanical voice. His sword had grown in size, and his gun was now a rifle.

His wings stretched in the air, and he reeled his sword back as the dragon flew closer. He slashed forward, catching the blade in the horizontal of the dragon's jaw. He pressed forward, and with momentum, the sword moved as well. Together, they cut a long gash in the dragon's maw.

The dragon roared in pain, swerving in the air to give chase. Rouge aimed his gun, HUD assisting where to shoot. Three quick shots, three holes riddled in the dragons wings. It corkscrewed to the floor, skidding across the floor. It sent flames at him, but he darted away from them.

He dashed toward the dragon at immense speed, landing on its neck and driving its head to the floor. He raised his sword up, and looked the dragon its eyes. Its look told him, "You win, make it quick."

He nodded in response. Then he brought the sword down.

He wiped the dragon's blood from his hands as he flew from the castle. Then he began the arduous process of reversing the transformation. He dropped to the ground, withering in pain as the wings folded back into his body and the armor faded away inside him. He rolled over, and looked at the sky.

It began to lightly rain.

_**Did you use it?**_ Histoire asked him over their connection.

"I used it." He replied.

_**I'm sorry you had to.**_

"No... It's alright. What do I do now?"

_**I need you to fight.**_ The voice wasn't Histoire's.

"Who are you?-!"

_**Come to my aid, Weapon. Your services are required.**_ That voice... No, he couldn't. He wouldn't.

_**Arfoire! GET AWAY FROM HIM!**_ Histoire's voice shouted at the other voice.

_**My, my, Histoire. You can't take away what's already mine.**_ The other voice, Arfoire chided.

Rouge stared in fear as he stood up. But he wasn't controlling his body. He stumbled forward.

_**Come to me Weapon.**_

_**ROUGE! FIGHT IT!**_

Rouge struggled to gain control, but it was futile. He kept moving against his will.

_**I have use for you. **_Arfoire said, _**Come to me.**_

_**NO!**_

_**Histoire! Shut up!**_

He dropped to his knees. One second he had control, the next he was being controlled. The two goddesses waged a war in his head, fighting over him. His mind was set aflame as it became the subject of a vicious game of tug of war. He fell to the ground twitching and screaming in pain.

For this would not be the last time this happened.

* * *

><p><strong>Ten Months Later<strong>

"You did not need my help at all, did you."

_**Not really.**_

It was a few months after Arfoire's defeat. On a personal decision, he kept as far away from the other goddesses as possible, to avoid giving into Arfoire's commands, after she succeeded a few times. After her defeat, he just resumed his life, keeping in touch with Histoire. So he was basically a hermit, living on the move with only a few books, his weapons, a debit card to the National Bank of Gamindustry, and a laptop.

He had built up quite a bit of life experience, but there were still a few small gaps in his knowledge.

_**So what are you up to now?**_ Histoire asked.

"Just wandering around Leanbox... Not much else to do."

_**There really isn't much to do now... We're at relative peace, with the exceptions of the monsters. Spawn discs are still out there, spawning a lot of monsters...**_

"I promise to deal with as many as I can." He said.

_**Good to hear.**_ _**You know, maybe you can finally meet the goddesses. Even though you're a CPU yourself, you still worship Green Heart devoutly. Why is that?**_

"Because of what kind of person she is."

_**You're not simply a fanboy?**_

"No, I am not a fanboy- Why are we talking about this again?"

_**Because we can. **_She giggled over the link.

"I figured as much." He grumbled.

He sat down against a tree, eating a small lunch of fish and rice. There really wasn't much left to do. Monster extermination was commonplace in his schedule, but the rest was simply lazing about or traveling to another place. He had enough money to settle down, but where was the fun in that?

It was the adventures life for him.

"_Nyaaa..._" A cat walked up to him, rubbing against his leg.

"Would you like some fish, little guy?" He smiled, taking a reasonably sized bit of fish and holding it out to the cat. It ate it happily, before curling up against his side. He petted it quietly, enjoying the day.

His head began to throb, but he kept it to himself, shrugging it off. A few minutes later, the throbbing became a blinding pain.

_**I'm baaaaaaaack! **_A voice giggled.

_**YOU! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE GONE!**_ Histoire shouts.

_**Oh pooh, that's a load of nonsense.**_

**Snap.**

Rouge stares in fear at his hand, which had snapped the little cat's neck.

_**I've still got control. And now I have a job for you my weapon...**_

His world went black.

* * *

><p>Rouge came to, eyes widening in horror. Smoke and flames surrounded him, bodies and puddles of blood all over the place. His sword was jammed in the chest of a little girl, dead at his feet. He dropped to his knees, shock taking over.<p>

He scrambled up, grabbed his sword and ran like hell into a nearby forest.

"**WHAT HAPPENED?-!**"

_**Arfoire took control... I'm so sorry... **_Histoire cried.

"And she made me... **SHE MADE DO THAT?-!**" He sobbed. "**NOOOOOO!**"

He fell against a tree, scared out of his mind. He pulled his knees together, and cried his eyes out.

"I can't let this happen again..."

He picked himself up, and he ran into the wilderness.

* * *

><p>It was one week since the massacre he committed at the town on Leanbox. He had holed up in the forests, a former shell of himself since Histoire and Arfoire reengaged their war over his body. Pain ravaged his head, his mind stretched to its limits and his body hard pressed during the battle for control. He couldn't stand it anymore.<p>

_**Are you okay?**_

"No... I'm not." He replied. "I want it to be over..."

_**It will be over soon.**_

"No, it won't! What if it happens _**again**_! What if you lose another struggle! More people are going to _**die**_ at _**my**_ hands if Arfoire regains control! I have to make sure it _**NEVER**_ happens again!" He shouts.

_**You can't be suggesting- NO! I WON'T LET YOU! I'm sending Green Heart to you now! Don't you dare-**_

"I'm sorry Histoire." He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a combat knife. He gave it a small sad smile, twirling it around.

_**ROUGE! DON'T YOU DARE! THIS ISN'T YOUR LAST OPTION!**_

"Goodbye Histoire... I love you too... Like as sister, mind you..." He gave a grim smile. Arfoire will not have her weapon. He had a short life...

But it was a nice, fulfilling one. He had very few regrets. Such as not living long, and not making it to see the end of Drey's Anatomy. He held the knife out, aiming the point at him.

_**ROUGE!**_

He jammed the knife into his chest. He fell to the ground, lying in a growing puddle of blood.

* * *

><p>Vert, also known as Green Heart, walked quietly on her nature walk. Histoire and some of her advisors advised her to take this walk at least once a week for her health. She refused at the beginning, but agreed when the advisors promised to increase her already enormous gaming budget. She was already out the door when they finished talking.<p>

She loved the beauty and serenity of her landmass. She would be staying longer after she gave up her goddess powers... At least Histoire told her that they all would get their powers back eventually. Something was bothering her, as she walked through the forests a little far away from her castle.

She noticed a long tendril of red, snaking toward her. She kneeled down, touching it.

"This consistency... Blood?" She gapes.

Her head snaps up, looking for where it had come from. There, from behind that tree! She stood up, running in her dress toward the source. She stopped, eyes widening in sheer horror at her discovery.

Lying there with a knife in his chest, was a man's body. The way it looked like, someone stabbed him, and he tried to pull the knife out. She kneeled down beside him, looking him over. A murderer was somewhere on Leanbox.

Then her eyes widened even more. The man's chest moved. He was breathing. He was alive.

She reached into the folds of her dress, and pulled out potions. She forced them down the man's throat, and slowly extracted the knife from his chest. He would live, but he needed immediate attention. She pulled out her cell phone, and dialled a number.

"**I NEED HELP!**"

* * *

><p>Rouge woke up on a bed somewhere. He struggled to sit up, and then noticed he was half naked, covered with bandages. His clothes and weapons sat in the corner of the room, which he had noticed was an infirmary. He had lived...<p>

"Are you alright?"

He blinked. Standing right there, holding a tray of food was Lady Green Heart.

"I thought you might be hungry, so I made you something to eat." She pulled up a chair with her foot and sat down on it.

"T-Thank you, my Lady." He quickly replied. "For everything..."

"Were you attacked? Who did such a horrible thing to you?" She asked.

"I... I'd rather not talk about it."

She passed him a bowl of soup, and gestured for him to drink it. "Drink it, you'll feel better." She urged.

He brought it to his lips, and drank.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Rouge." She said. "I should really be going, Lady Green Heart." He made to stand, but pain kept him in the bed.

"Call me by my other name, Vert." She smiled.

"Okay... Vert."

"So, why are you on Leanbox? I'm pretty sure you're a monster hunter, based on your equipment."

"I'm... I'm a traveller. More like a wanderer." He answered, choosing his words carefully. It wouldn't do to alarm her or frighten her. "I take jobs for money."

She smiled. "Come on, let's get you out of here, you can tell me about your travels on the way." She carefully helped him up, and led him over to his stuff. He got clothed, and put on his weapons.

He had to leave soon. Who knew what would happen if Arfoire got control while he was near Lady Green Heart? It would be horrible, absolutely disastrous. She brought him, surprisingly, to her room.

"You know how to play games?" She asked with a smile. "I haven't been able to play with anyone new for a while, and most of the people I play with are really easy to beat." She holds out the controller to him.

"I do. Let's play then." He took the controller and sat down beside her.

* * *

><p><strong>Victory, Player 2! <strong>flashed across the screen.

"Eat that!" He grinned. She gaped at the screen.

"Again! I will not be beaten in my element!"

Game after game, sometimes she would win, sometimes she would lose. Grins appeared on their faces from beginning to end. Time flew by, and soon the sun was setting.

"That was a lot of fun!" She chimed, as she ejected the game disc from the system. "What do you want to play now?"

"Actually, I've got to get going."

Her smile drooped. "Alright... I'll escort you to the gates."

He followed her to the gates to the castle grounds, deep in thought.

"You sure you don't want to stay for a while? I haven't had so much fun in a while."

"I'm sorry, I can't-"

_**You are going to stay, or I am going to hand divine intervention on your well shaped ass. You hear me?**_

"Actually, sure. Why not?" He said, with a hesitant smile. This was coming from the guy who was slowly turning Histoire into a yandere.

"Yay!" She cheered, grabbing him by the hand and dragging him back to the castle.

* * *

><p>He sat awake on his bed, unable to sleep. The sounds of Vert playing games seeped through the walls. He stood up, and opted to wander the halls of the castle. His mind was alive with numerous thoughts.<p>

Maybe should just leave, never come back. It would make everything so much easier. He found himself on a balcony, high up with a wide view of Leanbox's main city. The moon was full, everything was quiet.

He reached into his jacket, and pulled out his gun. Twirling it expertly, he looked at it, and played around with its feel. Tonight, it would be over. Arfoire would be without a weapon.

No one would miss him. Besides, this body was a corpse in the beginning, it would be a simple matter to go back to that. He held the gun firmly in his hand. Then he aimed it to his head, finger curling around the trigger.

"**NOOOO!**" Someone shrieked.

He turned around. He saw Vert running at him, and tackling him. She wrestled the gun out of his hands, and threw it away. But the momentum she used to tackle him sent them flying over the parapet, and hurtling to the ground.

They were falling, and they were going to die at this height. Vert screamed as she fell. Rouge manoeuvred himself beside her, and held onto her tight. Time to do _**it**_ again...

"**Corruption Drive. Wing Program. Execute.**"

His back bulged, and he gritted his teeth to cope with the pain. The wings grew on his back, and gave a heavy flap. They stopped falling. He rose in the air slowly, murmuring comforting words in Vert's ears.

He settled her down on the balcony, rubbing away her tears with an armoured monstrous hand.

"Why would you do such at thing? Were you responsible for what happened at the forest? Why did you grow wings? What's going on?" She cried.

"I... I don't know how to explain." He said honestly.

"I can explain." Our heads snap to the entranceway to the balcony. "Rouge, I'm disappointed in you." It was Histoire.

"Histoire..." They both mouthed.

"I can't believe you! _**Suicide?-!**_ That was your choice! Don't even think of flying away! Yes, that's right, get over here!" She said to Rouge sternly.

He kneeled down beside Histoire.

"When did you get here?" Vert asked her.

"We all arrived just a few minutes ago. They're all waiting for you in your room."

"How do you know Rouge? Why can he transform-" She began to ask, but was cut off by Histoire.

"We'll talk about that later. It's a personal tale, he'll explain to you when he wants to. But now, we need to have a private conversation."

Vert nodded, and with one worried look at Rouge, she left. Histoire stared down Rouge, a sad look on her face. **Smack. **He flinched, as Histoire slapped him.

"I... I don't know what to say to you anymore... I know you feel terrible for what happened, so do I, but... That wasn't the right choice."

"I... I killed them. I'm a murderer. Don't murderers deserve to die-"

She slapped him again. "You're no murderer. Arfoire set you to do that. It's not your fault. It never was." She hugged him.

"Don't you dare scare me like that."

"Okay Histy."

"Oh shush, it's enough having Neptune call me that." She giggled. "Now, you have goddesses and people to meet. It seems like you're getting along well with one." She smiled.

She took him by the sleeve, and led him back to Vert's room.

"Histy! Who's this?" Neptune asked.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Compa asked.

"No! Introduce yourself-" Histoire was interrupted by IF, who stormed up to him.

"_**YOU BASTARD! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!**_" She screamed, punching him on the face and beating him on the chest.

"Is he Iffy's ex-boyfriend?" Compa asked Histoire.

"_**HE'S JUST MY FRIEND!**_" She argued, then turned back to Rouge. "_**REYNALD, EXPLAIN YOURSELF! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! THE GUILD GAVE YOU A FUNERAL WITHOUT A BODY! WHERE WERE YOU, YOU BASTARD!**_"

"IF, Reynald is dead." Histoire interjected.

"But he's standing right here!" She argued.

"Reynald did die." Rouge spoke up. "Because I am simply a consciousness inhabiting his reanimated, weaponized body..." He explained.

"D-Dead...?" Everyone in the room gaped at him.

"Oh, I am very much alive but... The Reynald IF knew, it's IF, right? Yes, the Reynald IF knew is dead. Died in a dungeon on Planeptune..." He explained.

"Who would do such a horrible thing? To someone's body?" Noire spoke up.

"A certain bitch named Arfoire. You could say... I defected, and refused to follow her orders, and I ended up meeting Histoire." He lied through his teeth.

"But you're still a person, right? Not some monster, just a person who's living in someone else?" Compa asked.

"More or less, that's right." He answered. He turned to IF. "I'm sorry for your loss." He said honestly.

"It's... It's fine." She said, dropping into a chair.

"It's a little startling... But it's okay... Why is he here, anyway?" Blanc asked.

"He's on protection duty." Histoire explained. Eyebrows were raised at this fact.

"Then who's he supposed to be protecting?"

Rouge's eyes widened, head shaking at a rapid pace at Histoire. "He's going to be protecting you all of course." He slapped his head as Histoire smiled at him and everyone else.

"But we don't need this guy's protection! He's probably a weakling!" Blanc argued.

"Oh, I can assure you he's no weakling. But you're all far weakened without your goddess powers. He's here to cover the blind spots while you grow stronger." She explained.

"No. I say no." Rouge spoke up. "Don't you remember what's going to happen if you screw up?" He hissed at Histoire, causing a few eyebrows to rise once more.

"I know the consequences. But I won't slip up again. Just do your best to control yourself, and I'll do mine."

"So... Who's he staying with?"

"No one-"

"He's staying here!" Vert chimed, smiling at him. "He promised he would anyway!"

"And when did this promise happen?" Noire asked her, suspicious.

"Earlier today!" She replied. Even more questions sprung up from there.

"But why would he stay here of all places?" Blanc asked her.

"We played together, a little roughly I might add, and he's here to stay because of all the fun we've had!" She explained. Blushes appeared on everyone.

"So he's taking responsibility for the results of his actions?" Neptune asked.

"Well, you could put it that way." Vert smiled.

"... Vert, are you pregnant?" Compa asked her, eyes wide and sparkling.

"Eh, what?"

"You're pregnant! You said you _**played **_together, and had a lot of _**rough fun**_! What else could it possibly be? Why would he be staying here after that? If it were a one night-er, day stand, then he would be gone already!" Compa exclaimed. "So, do you think it's going to be a boy or a girl? When are you getting married?"

"**I'm not pregnant!**" She shrieked, embarrassed with a flushed face. "**We did nothing improper!**"

"He's going to be a bodyguard and a playmate." Histoire explained. "Like an escort."

"So he's staying here on Leanbox, why?"

"Because the more zealous types of people are here, and they have the most monster reports at the moment. When he's needed at another landmass, he will travel there."

"Don't I get a say in this-"

"Of course you don't!" Histoire chimed. He grumbled, swearing more vibrantly than Blanc on a bad day. "Now off to bed all of you, it's late. We'll continue this conversation in the morning."

* * *

><p>Rouge found himself on the balcony again, staring out over the city. His gun, sword and all his other weapons were confiscated by Histoire. He leaned back into his chair, looking out into the night sky. The stars were beautiful tonight.<p>

He blinked, and then found himself looking into a pair of blue stars that shone very brightly. Vert loomed over him, a questioning expression on her face. "May I sit with you?" She asked.

"Fine with me." He replied. She pulled a chair out, and sat beside him.

"Why would you do such a thing?" She asked him.

"I felt ashamed for some terrible things that I have done." He replied. "They weren't pretty, not at all... And I just wanted it to end, to get over it."

"But to that point? What could be so terrible that you would drive a knife into your chest and put a gun to your head?"

"Things that you don't want to know." He simply replied. They were silent, looking out at the sights.

"So... Will you stay? Or will you leave? You sounded like you don't want to be here."

"I'll stay... For a while only... I just need to get my bearings, and figure out which foot to start off on first." He answered.

"Can I ask you something? Why can you transform?"

"I'd like to keep that private for now." He gave a sad smile.

"Okay then..."

"I had fun today. Thanks for everything... Including saving my life."

"You're welcome."

They smiled at each other, and resumed looking out at the city.

"It's getting cold, don't you think?" She asked. She shivered as wind swept by.

"Yeah, it is... Here, wear this." He stood up, taking off his jacket. He walked to her, and covered her with it like a blanket. "That should do it." He said, sitting down.

He shivered. "Now I'm cold." He smiled, jokingly.

"... Let's try this." Vert stood up, and sat down in his lap. She leaned back on him, covering them both with his jacket. He blushed furiously as they kept each other warm.

She yawned. "You _**better**_ not take advantage of me." She hissed.

"I won't, I won't. I'm here to protect you, after all." He chuckled.

She smiled, and nestled her head against his shoulder. Soon, she was asleep.

_**You seem like you're having fun.**_

"I trust you on this Histoire."

_**I will not let you down. Now get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow.**_

"Why?"

_**We're going to Lowee. Specifically, Guild City. We're going to your second home.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1 Complete! Not much to say to people here. This is something I wanted to get out and done... <strong>**So R/R, enjoy life, read great fiction, and let the creative juices flow. And not only for you lemon writers. Aw well. – EthernalRain**


	2. Chapter 2: Start of a New Adventure

**Chapter 2**

**Going Home**

* * *

><p><strong>I DON'T OWN HYPERDIMENSION NEPTUNIA. Though I do own a special edition package of the game and art book... <strong>

**Not much to say to you people, other than the disclaimer above. So, let's continue, shall we?**

**LET'S DO THIS!**

* * *

><p>Rouge kneeled before Histoire, head bowed low.<p>

"I explicitly trust you not to do anything wrong. You will get your weapons back, and you **better** not try anything with them. You hear me?"

"_I hear you..._" He said, looking and feeling like a kicked puppy.

She handed him his sword and gun. "They're nice weapons..." She mused. "Just make sure they're used for the right things, okay?" She smiled.

"Okay." He replied. He fastened the weapons to him, checking them over.

"Is there anything you need before we head out?" She asked him.

"No... I'm good. What about Corruption Drive? If the need arises, do I have permission to use it?" He asked her.

"You have permission, but only for the most explicit of situations."

He nodded, turning around. She tugged on his sleeve, drawing his attention back to her. "Are you sure you're going to be okay with this?" She asked him, a worried expression on her face.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." He assured her.

"But it's your old home-"

"I'll be fine, I'll handle it." He interrupted her, and walked away.

"I'm worried..." Histoire murmured, following.

Rouge watched Vert pack her bag, immensely surprised at the amount of games she fit in there. It was like she would never see one ever again.

"Oh! I can't forget this!"

He gaped as the item disappeared into her bag. "L-Lady Green Heart! Where'd you get something so _**improper**_!"

"**OH!** Rouge! Didn't notice you there... You saw nothing." She simply smiled, closing up her bag. "Didn't I tell you to call me Vert?"

"Okay... Vert. But what are you doing packing adult materials into your travelling bag?" He asked, looking completely shocked at her.

"Didn't I say you saw nothing?" She beamed, blatantly choosing to ignore him.

He facepalmed.

"Now aren't you supposed to be escorting me?" She looped around his arm, smirking at his vibrant red blush. "Lead the way sir." When he wouldn't move due to embarrassment, she gave a hearty smack to his behind, causing him to yelp like a whipped dog.

He started walking, Vert smiling at his blush the entire way. They met up with the rest of their group in the foyer of the castle. Everyone gaped at them, as if surprised by the turn of events.

"You really are pregnant!" Compa exclaimed.

"**NO! I'M NOT!**" Vert shouted.

"Then why are you hooked around Ru-Ru's arm?" Compa said.

Rouge slapped his forehead. Histoire warned this would happen! The abbreviation nickname has arrived, and there was nothing he could do about it. He could do nothing at all, except grumble and twitch.

It was enough he had such a feminine name, but that came from a goddess, who's responsible for making _**female **_CPUs. Not male CPUs. And with the exception of him, that won't change for anytime soon. Not anytime soon, not at all...

"He's my escort, so he'll _**escort**_ me." Vert explained. "Isn't that right, Ru-Ru?" She smiled at his nickname.

Never before, had Rouge had the immense urge to bash his head into a wall until it was a bloody mess. He attempted to wrestle his arm out of Vert's grip, but she kept it there in place. Gnawing the limb off was no longer an option, when he was nowhere near a Planeptune hospital. So his last option was to suck it up, deal with it, and slightly enjoy where the limb in question was stuck between at the moment.

Weapon/corpse/CPU or not, he was still a guy. Arfoire didn't remove his reproductive organs in the conversion and reanimation processes. He thanked the universe for that. He did want a family someday, when all this crap steamed over.

"Shall we head off?" Histoire asked them all. She was met with cheers in response.

* * *

><p>Rouge fondled the grip of his gun, looking around the Leanbox Sky Harbor.<p>

"You remember what happened here?" IF asks hesitantly, watching him with eyes laced with suspicion.

"I think I do... It's weird, watching one else's life through your own eyes..." He replies, data flashing across his eyes.

"_Come on Iffy!" He shouted, waiting at the entrance of the bridge, firing his gun at the soldiers who came to arrest them._

"_Don't call me Iffy!" She shouted as she ran._

"_Get the heretics!" A Basilicom official shouted. This was Leanbox, no guns, only armor and swords. He opened fire, not afraid that he would possibly kill one of them._

_The fact that the two of them worshipped Lady Green Heart didn't matter to these guys. To put it simply, they were heretics that deserved to be arrested, and punished in anyway necessary to promote and enforce their set of morals. He shot one in the face, crushing in his mask and knocking the soldier backwards. He reached into his jacket, fumbling around for something._

"_**This one's for the Purge!**__" He roared, pulling out a small black cylinder, and popping a ring off it . He lobbed it over IF's head, and it clattered to the ground. IF managed to reach him, as the cylinder exploded in a cloud of yellow gas._

"_Mustard gas?-!" IF shrieked at him._

"_No, monster repellent, courtesy of the Basilicom of Lastation." He grinned at her._

"_That's even worse!"_

"_So, they'll get burned and scarred in places, but it won't kill them. They'll smell like shit for weeks though." He watched the soldiers scream in pain and horror as the gas entered through the gaps in their armor._

"_What would the Basilicom of Lastation do if they knew you were pulling stuff like this?" She said as we watched the gas envelop the rest of the soldiers._

"_I wouldn't care what they think. Most of them are corrupt bastards, and the CPU turns a blind eye as her landmass slowly goes to hell. Why do you think I'm also a Guild member?" He pointed out, turning to face the bridge._

"_If they found out, you could be executed, you know? People on both sides see you as some sort of hero, but you're simply just living off your own agenda..." She gave a humoured smile._

"_My life, my terms. I don't care about popularity or that stuff; I just care about my life, the lives of my friends and the lives of innocent people. That and everything else a person my age wants to do and/or get away with." He grinned._

_She smiled back. "Then let's go."_

"_Already there!" He broke out into a run, "Come on Iffy!"_

"_Don't call me Iffy!"_

_They ran across the bridge, fleeing into Planeptune._

"That... Yeah, that was awkward. He had fun though, that I can assure you of." Rouge told her.

She sighed, walking forward. "I'm sorry if this is making you uncomfortable..."

"Well, it did come from learning that a good friend is dead..." He murmured to himself, following.

They all crossed the long bridge into Lowee.

* * *

><p>Rouge took deep breaths, staring down the city from their vantage point on a mountain. "Stay close. We'll have to go through the Extremist area before we get to the Moderatist area now... Unless you want to backtrack all the way." He told them.<p>

"All because Neptune wanted to take a shortcut..." Noire grumbled.

"But it looked so scenic!" Neptune argued.

"But we took a right the last time, and we got there fine! But _**no**_, we just had to take a left!" IF scolded her, looking annoyed. "I don't like the Extremists much... Too overzealous for my tastes..."

"Same here, Iffy." Rouge commented.

"Don't call me Iffy." She snapped.

"Sorry, strange habit..." Well, it was a habit, but not his.

They began to descend the mountain, unhindered by monsters. Though that didn't stop Rouge from maintaining a death grip on his weapons. He kept on his snow mask and hood as they walked into the city. It wouldn't do if someone were to recognize him.

They walked through the Extremist area, amidst all the looks people were giving them. Four goddesses, and three heroes walking down Guild City's streets... And they weren't fighting, evangelizing, or doing publicity stunts. It was, to put it very simply, weird.

Rouge kept an eye out for the more fanatical sort of Extremists.

"Lady White Heart!" A sleazy middle-aged man ran towards the group, ready to glomp the goddess of Lowee. Rouge clotheslined the man, dropping him to the ground. The same arm pulled a gun out, and levelled it at the man's head.

"State your business." Rouge said through the mask, eyeing the man warily. The man whimpered, staring at the barrel of the gun.

"Let the guy go." IF tried to convince him.

"Fine, Iffy, fine..."

"You still don't have the right to call me Iffy."

He sighed, twirling the pistol and slipping it back in the holster.

"Come on, let's move."

"YES!" Neptune cheered. "I wanna see more of this place!"

"Don't go alone- Hey!" She grabbed on to Rouge's sleeve, dragging him away. For a little girl, she was much stronger than she looked. Then again, she was older than she looked as well.

After a few dozen minutes of stumbling after the goddess with endless amounts of life, he stumbled to the ground, sliding across the icy street. "Are you okay?" Neptune shouted, kneeling down beside him. He rolled over, looking up at her.

"I've been through worse." He replied, sitting up.

"Here we are..." Histoire said, looking at the place the two had stopped. All heads turned to the building. It was a house, a modest one with distinct Lowee style.

"_**Former home of Reynald Takahashi, Monster Exterminator. **_

_**Faithful Guild member, devoted friend, loving husband. **_

_**May he be remembered, for his brave acts, his kindness and generosity**_**,**_** and the impact he made on many lives. May we never forget Reynald Takahashi.**_" Neptune read off a plaque that hung off the doorway. Flowers were laid down before it, pieces of paper and prayers for his soul among them. This was some impromptu memorial.

"H-Husband?-!" Noire gaped.

"... Oh fucking crap." He swore.

"You took the words out of my mouth." Blanc mused, rereading the plaque.

"... Oh goddesses damn it!" He shouted, grabbing his head.

"Hey!" Five people shouted at him. "What was that for?-!"

"Sorry, sorry..." He replied, glaring at the plaque. "But now I know there's some woman out there grieving over the previous owner of this body, and holy shit, I have/had a wife! Oh crap I'm confused!" He muttered, rubbing his forehead. "Iffy, did you know about this?"

"... Er..." She looked away.

"Damn it." He muttered. "Anyway, let's get inside... I think there's a secret entrance in the back."

He led them to the backyard, looking around. There was a small garden, worn out dummies for combat practice, a small river of heated water that led to a pond... The perfect home to start a family, in his opinion... He walked to the back of the house, prodding at the wall with his hand.

"Ah, here..." He tapped the spot on the wall two times, paused, then another two times, then another pause, and a final two times. The wall slid open, revealing a door. "Come on." He said to them all.

He entered the house, everyone following. Everything was surprisingly well kept, clean, and everything. Weird... He thought the place would have been abandoned already.

"**EEEK! WHO ARE YOU, AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!**" A beautiful woman with long brown hair, golden eyes, and wearing a sweater and jeans shouted at him.

"Astoria, calm down!"

"Iffy? W-What are all these people doing in R-Reynald's house!" The woman stammered, teary eyed.

"We're just visiting. Don't worry, we won't disturb anything." She assured her.

"Okay... I've been rather depressed and lonely lately... Since Reynald died..." She curled up on a sofa, and sobbed, her grief causing her not to even recognize the important people that entered the house. IF walked up to her and comforted her with consoling words. She kept glancing back at Rouge every few seconds, with conflicting emotions dancing across her face.

"_**He promised he'd come home... He promised... He promised... Waaaaaaaaaaah!**_" She sobbed.

Rouge kept his hood up and mask on, even though it was getting rather hot. No one could notice him with his eyes clamped shut, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, powerless to do anything. Vert pulled him to the side, an angry look on her face. "Do something! She's your wife!" She hissed, pointing at the woman.

"... She was Reynald's wife, not mine."

She sighed, looking away. "I'm sorry-" He tried to apologize, but was cut off.

"Don't. You're right. But I wish we could do something for her..." She said, sadly.

* * *

><p>Rouge made tea, left to watch the woman, Astoria, as everyone else went to sightsee. After a heated argument, he was forced to stay behind.<p>

"Here." He handed a cup to the woman, who took it quietly, sipping.

"He's gone... Isn't he?"

"... He is. I'm sorry for your loss." He said sincerely.

"Why won't you take that hood and mask off?" She asked.

"... I can't tell you." He really couldn't, besides, how would you tell a woman that you were the walking, talking, reanimated body of her husband? Tell her, oh great, you're dead, and don't love her at all? Hell no!

Memories flashed by in his head, and he struggled to keep a straight face and cope with the pain. Most of them revolved around the woman sitting before him, the rest were of conversations and simple day to day life. It felt weird... Reynald loved this woman very much.

But he wasn't Reynald. Reynald died, a Virus CPU, and then an Anti-Virus CPU took control of his body. He sighed as the woman looked like she was going to break out in tears. "He must have loved you very much... And I'm sure he wouldn't want to see you tearing yourself apart like this."

She roughly wiped away her tears. "Okay..." She said, still keeping her sad, weary look. Rouge was speechless, confused out of his mind on what to do next.

* * *

><p>"Over there, over there!" Neptune shouted.<p>

"Let's go!" Compa squealed.

"Look at that!" Vert pointed at some large building in the distance.

"Girls..." Histoire murmured exasperatedly, being forced to babysit all of them. Heck, she was thousands of years old, and these girls still looked older than her. Maybe she would give herself a few upgrades...

She followed them, keeping an eye out for any situation that may cause her to go on a smiting spree. A strange feeling plagued the back of her mind, as if something was going to go wrong, and soon. A dark shadow loomed over them. She looked up.

She decided to take a leaf out of Blanc's book, no matter how much out of character it was.

"Oh fuck."

Flying there was a little girl. Misshapen half-organic, half-mechanical wings kept her aloft, monstrous armoured arms and legs replacing human limbs. She knew what this was. **Corruption Drive.**

This was a Virus CPU.

* * *

><p><em><strong>ROUGE!<strong>_ Histoire's voice shouted into his head.

"Wha-"

_**WE NEED HELP!**_

"On my way." He murmured under his breath. "I have to go," He told Astoria, "stay safe." He smiled grimly.

He ran out the back, secret entrance. Locking the door, he sprinted out onto the streets, head swinging wildly, searching for the group. He needed to find them fast. Only one way to do something like that...

"**Corruption Drive. Execute.**"

He dropped to his knees, pain engulfing him. His body transformed, morphing before his clenched eyes. It hurt even more than the last time! What was happening?

With a flap of his wings, he was airborne. He blinked.

**Stab.**

A spear entered through his right shoulder, raining blood down onto the streets below. His eyes widened to the size of plates, as he stared into the eyes of his attacker. I wasn't possible, or so he thought. But she stood right before him, eyes glinting with an ominous glow.

The same girl that lay dead at his feet, the same girl whose body lay stabbed at the end of his sword, the same girl who lay murdered by his hands, Arfoire's hands... And now she was ready to kill him.

"**Target Locked. Capture. Dead or Alive.**" She said in a cold, mechanical voice.

_**Arfoire, you sick bitch.**_ Histoire and Rouge thought at the same time.

The spear twisted in his shoulder, drawing more blood. With an armoured hand, Rouge yanked the spear out, kicking off the girl to gain distance. He brought the hand to his shoulder, gritting his teeth, eyes wild in the heat of battle. "**Regeneration Program. Execute.**"

The wound opened wide once more, and then slowly, excruciatingly, stitched itself back together. He would need to see a doctor later; the regeneration process was never perfect... He flicked his rifle out, levelling it at the girl's head. He didn't want to do this.

But it had to be done.

He opened fire, bullets raining down on the girl. She began to twirl her spear at an inhuman -rate, which deflected most of the bullets. He growled. Close-quarters battle it was.

He readied his katana, trailing the blade through the air. With another flap of his wings, he charged. At a skin peeling speed, he rushed at the girl, sword ready to stab her. She twisted in the air, using her spear to deflect him to the right, and then brought the blade down on his back.

The slightest motion of his abdomen allowed the blade to soar past him, and gave him enough momentum to plunge his elbow in her face. He swung his sword down on her, but she regained her stance, blocking the sword with her spear. He kept hacking down on her, in an effort to break the thing in half. But then again, this was Gamindustri.

Most weapons are more or less invulnerable for a while to damage (malfunctions, no), with the exception of guns.

But they still had to follow the laws of physics. Rouge relentlessly kept up his attacks on her, waiting for an opening. There! He slammed down his sword once more.

The spear dented and snapped, the blade rocketing down towards the girl's head. It caught her in the shoulder, making a large cut. The girl shrieked, grabbing Rouge with her monstrous hands, trying to push him away. Being older, bigger, and with much more experience, Rouge gave a heavy flap of his wings, charging once more.

The force of his push sent them flying forward, then falling towards the ground. They crashed into the street, making a small crater in the paved street. She pushed off the ground, tackling him, still shrieking. He wrestled her to the ground, forcing her to the street.

He pinned her with his leg, readying his katana. It was now or never. He raised the blade up, primed to stab. With a deep breath, he brought the sword down.

_**WAIT!**_ Histoire screamed.

The blade stopped, already touching the girl's throat.

"What should I do Histoire?" He asked, objectively.

_**I want to give her the same chance you had.**_

"I don't want to put her through what I'm going through. Too many risks. I don't think the CPU you'd make would be able to handle it. Hell, I'm barely able to handle it."

_**Still... I want**__**to give her a chance...**_

"Then what should I do?"

_**Focus. I'll send you an installation program, the CPU I made in case something like this happened.**_

Data flashed through his HUD and mind, showing him what to do.

"Are you really sure about this?"

_**Positive. Begin the installation.**_

He raised the sword up again. The girl adopted a resigned look, as if acknowledging her fate. He brought the sword down. She closed her eyes.

"Installation... Execute."

She opened her eyes, staring at the blade stuck in the stone beside her. She turned to Rouge as her world went black. He clamped his hand around her head, a luminous aura surrounding the limb and its target. She began to scream, viciously thrashing about, trying to do something to end the pain.

But Rouge kept his hold on her head. Soon she stopped thrashing, the transformation from Corruption Drive slowly reversing. When it did, she lay there, just a little girl once more. She adopted a meek expression, then one of her first emotion.

Fear.

"What... Are... You...?" She asked slowly, as data flashed before her eyes.

"Me? I'm just a monster." He said grimly, returning to human form.

She passed out.

* * *

><p>Rouge didn't want to sound preachy, but that's what he saw himself as. A monster. He knew there were a shitload of clichéd elements that utilized that train of thought, but when you took note of what he was... You really couldn't find a better definition.<p>

Unless you count "weaponized reanimated corpse" suitable as such... Yeah, it was pretty damn depressing. But for all intents and purposes, he had a soul, a _**human(ish)**_ soul. He didn't think he did...

But Histoire assured him that he had. So he had no reason to grow introverted, depressed, and all-round insufferable, like many a clichéd character. He wasn't absolutely suicidal, well, minus that time a few days ago... But he loved life.

He loved the things it had to offer, he loved the very, very few people who populated it, he loved the experiences, and he loved the thrills and the emotions it gave him. If he could feel that, then in no way, he was a monster. But with all his experiences, the ones he never had a choice in... Well, like a hard kick to the balls, they hurt.

Very badly... And when you wound something, you almost definitely leave a few scars. As Rouge had his little soul search, he sat beside the little girl, laying down on a bed in the Guild City Basilicom. She was still unconscious.

So all in all, he was confused. With only almost a year of life experience under his belt, he didn't have enough to generate a decent solution to his personal problems. A few more years later, he'd probably look back at this and laugh at how foolish he was, and move on with his life. He put a stop to his pity party, prematurely ending it before it got to out of hand and he became start acting like an insufferable douche who hated his life, himself, and everyone else.

He'd figure out his answer, one way or another.

Histoire drifted into the room, floating on her book. "Rouge? Are you okay? Is she okay?"

"She's fine. Don't worry." Rouge replied, leaning back into his chair.

"... What about you?" She asked hesitantly.

"I'm doing well... Or so I think." He said, whistling softly to a tune.

She sighed. "Alright then... It's late, get some rest." She left the room quietly.

There was silence once again.

He was about to resume his introspection after dozing off for about an hour, when a quiet, soft voice snapped him back into reality.

"... Where am I? Who am I? Who are you? What's going on?"

* * *

><p>The little girl had woken up, looking around. She stared in fear at the man sitting at a chair beside her, backing up in her bed. She pulled the blankets over her head, shuddering. To her, this was some nightmare.<p>

The blankets slid off of her slowly, the man trying to pull them away. She grabbed them tight, tugging on them with a death grip. She was scared. The man/monster was here.

"I'm not going to hurt you." The man assured her sincerely. He held out a comforting hand. She looked at it with immense suspicion, narrowing her eyes.

"I don't trust you." She snapped.

"Don't worry, I was like that before." He replied, slowly withdrawing the hand. She reached out quickly and grabbed it.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You feel scared, misplaced, alone, and you don't even know why." The man said, as if he knew exactly what was going on.

She flinched, looking resigned. She knew he was right. She gripped his hand, looking away from his analytical red eyes. The very same eyes seemed to pierce through the darkness, and peer into her very soul.

Corny, right? But the way his gaze fell upon her... She saw things in his eyes, things such as emotions. She saw pain, she saw sorrow, she saw unhealthy amounts of self-pity, but she also saw the good things.

Honesty for one, empathy, to list another... This man wasn't going to hurt her. But with how weary he was, and how wary she was, she would kill him easily and mercilessly if he tried. But that wouldn't happen anytime soon.

So for now, she decided to trust him. She held onto his hand, with only her small one that could just barely grip it. The man lightly gripped back, in assurance. It felt warm, with a caring feeling lingering from the touch of his flesh...

It felt nice, to put it simply.

Data flickered through her mind, cataloguing her new experiences. It was weird. She had no previous memories... Where did they go?

She was confused, very confused. A small timer appeared in her HUD. Apparently, she had existed for about 9 hours, and a few minutes. Not that long...

So she was created. But she had no memories, other than simply coming into existence into serious pain, mind overflowing with new information. Then she passed out. She floated in some subspace of some sort, learning at the speed of light.

When she woke up, she was here, sitting in a bed, holding the hand of some stranger. The very same stranger may or may not have hurt her, badly. But someone talking in the back of her head told her to trust him. It told her that he was good, that he would help her, care for her.

She also had some strange orders, commands listing for her to kill him on the spot, tear him to pieces for some obscure reason. She didn't know who to follow. So she followed instinct, or well, what she thought to be her instinct. She wasn't some puppet, from what she learned.

Her instincts wanted, badly, to trust the man, but to still be very wary around him. Who knew what he wanted to do? He may have had some ulterior motive. But for some reason, yet again, she still had some unexplainable "attraction" to him.

Not the romantic sort, of course, but more like the _**familiar**_ sort. The kind of feeling that urged her to stay close to him. The database installed into her brain informed her of the right term. It called this attraction, a "bond".

So they were bonding on the emotional scale. So they were just two souls, similar of circumstance, living in an unforgiving world, with barely anything but the very small human connections they have made, linked together by a feeling of connection... She also happened to wonder about who, just who, was the idiot that decided to install a playwright's understanding of the world into her head. Little did she know, a certain book-fairy sneezed in her sleep, grumbling discontentedly as she hugged a pillow much bigger than her.

"What's your name?" She asked the man.

"My name's Rouge." The man replied, smiling nonchalantly.

"Then... What's my name?"

The man, Rouge, adopted a look of thought. "I should let Histoire handle this... Nah."

"Histoire?" The name sounded familiar as well.

"Someone you'll meet later." He said. "Now let me think..."

There was silence for a second.

"I'll think I'll call you Violette. You seem like a Violette to me..." He smiled at her, reaching out a hand to pat her head. She felt embarrassed, quite annoyed with the man. But the contact felt nice.

So she said nothing, letting the man do what he wanted to the top of her head. But if he did something, she was prepared to bite his arm off and feed the offending limb to a dog or some carnivorous monster that lived on Lowee. She doubted it would happen, but hey, it didn't hurt to be prepared. A grumbling sound emanated lightly from her throat, a content feeling washing over her.

Her database of a mind began to analyze itself, categorizing things. She wondered what to classify Rouge. Data flashed before her eyes, the AI giving her a few options. Most of them were inappropriate, or so her recently informed common sense told her, for this kind of "relationship" or whatever it was.

**Father?** No, not good. **Lover?** Hell no, out of the question.

One simply just clicked with her. It felt right, someway, somehow. It suited their situation. It suited what she decided she felt about the man.

_**Brother.**_

She didn't know why, but she felt that sibling vibe resonate from him. It felt _**right**_, to her anyway. She held his wrist softly as his hand rubbed her head, rustling her hair about. She blushed, as her AI informed her of numerous anime and manga that focus on intimate sibling relationships...

Well, that scarred her a bit. But they weren't siblings, not even close. Just two people- Damn playwright sense of understanding... She wasn't going to go there again.

She felt that Rouge _**understood**_ her, and in a way, she would grow to understand him. Whether that made them family, she didn't know. She was still so confused, her AI wasn't helping. She would sort out her thoughts later.

Right now, she would just enjoy the support and the company. Just as a little girl.

* * *

><p>Rouge tucked the girl into bed, promising her that he'd definitely see her in the morning. He left the room with a quaint "Good night." He lingered outside the door for a few moments, and walked away. He paced around the halls of the Basilicom, not able to sleep.<p>

Thoughts wandered through his head as he wandered through the building. He knew he had to do something, for a certain woman. Give her some closure... Time to make a late night visit, maybe she was still at Reynald's house?

As he approached the gates, he noticed bright lights outlining the cracks of Vert's room. He was about to knock on the door, when he noticed it was opened. He pushed it open lightly, to see Vert engrossed with a game on a laptop. She was playing Four Goddesses Online.

"No, no! Get aggro! Idiot, don't stand in the fire! Get our medic to rez you! I'm going to pwn your ass in PVP later, if you don't start debuffing him! Hey, didn't I say get out of the fire! Oh, don't you dare call me _**that**_! Tell me which landmass you live on, and I'm going to hand divine intervention on you, you sorry little prick!" She barked into a headset, sounds of the game blaring through her ears.

He entered the room, walking over to her. Peering over her shoulder, he watched her play. He tapped her shoulder lightly, to garner her attention. "How's it going?"

"**EEEEEK!**"

She leaped up, frightened, accidentally snapping a cord from the laptop. She gaped as the word, **Disconnected**, flashed across the screen. She began to twitch, setting the laptop down and glaring at Rouge. "**WHAT WAS THAT FOR?-! YOU COST ME THE BIGGEST FIGHT IN MY GUILD'S HISTORY-**" She shouted at him, before she was cut off by Rouge's hand.

"Shush, everyone's sleeping." He scolded her.

She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"There, there, don't cry..." He murmured, moving his hand to pat her head. She grumbled, possibly annoyed or enjoying it.

"What are you doing up this late?" She asked him.

"I was planning to go out... Get something done." He replied.

"Okay then..."

There was silence, except for the sound of rustling hair.

"... Will you stop that?"

"... Sorry." He pulled away his hand, smiling. "Well, I'll be going then." He turned around to leave.

"Wait, I'm going too."

"But-"

"No buts. I'm just coming. And you owe me one for tonight, remember that."

"Alright, alright..." He swore mentally, receiving a quiet, discrete scolding from a half asleep Histoire.

But seriously, who knew what Vert would ask of him?

They walked down the streets of Guild City, quietly and unnoticed. Streetlights illuminated the cobblestone streets, shining lightly on the powdery snow. Everyone was asleep, no one gave them any trouble. They stopped in front of Reynald's house.

Light came from a window, a figure curled up right by it. "Wait here." Rouge told Vert, and he walked into the lawn. He picked up a pebble, playing by memory.

Well, Reynald's memory.

He tossed it at the window, and it lightly rapped against the glass, getting the figure's attention. The figure turned to the window, staring intently in the direction where the pebble came from. It was Astoria. Rouge waved up at her.

Her eyes widened, her hand covering her mouth. She threw open the window, leaning out of it.

"I'm home dear." He smiled. "Sorry for making you wait."

"Reynald... Oh my goddess, Reynald..." She sobbed, looking at him. She leaned even more out of the window. Reynald ran forward, remembering what happened the last time. She fell out of the window, tumbling towards the ground.

He leaped forward, catching her in his arms. They landed in a bed of powder, softly and unhurt.

"You never learn, do you?" He smiled at her, sweeping away powder from her face.

"_**I thought you died!**_" She sobbed into his chest. "_**I thought I'd lost you forever!**_"

"Astoria... I can't stay for long." He murmured to her.

"_**Why? I want you to stay!**_"

"I don't belong here anymore."

"_**But I love you! Why are you going to go?-!**_"

"Astoria... I love you too. But I don't belong on this _**world**_ anymore. It's time for me to move on, and for you to do the same."

"_**But-**_"

She was cut off by his lips. When he parted, he stared into her eyes. "I'm sorry Astoria. But this is my last goodbye."

"_**Reynald...**_" She sobbed. "_**You remember that night? That night up in the mountains, the night when snow fell from a clear sky? The night you proposed? You promised to come home to me, every single time you had to leave. You promised to come home, to our tiny little family. But now... You're telling me you have to leave again, and this time you won't come back? You promised me Reynald.**__**You promised.**_"

Rouge was silent, personal emotions trying to stop him from continuing this. "I know I promised. But I don't have any control over this anymore. If I had a choice, I would be staying here with you. But I can't. I have to go."

She broke out into heavy tears again at his response.

"_**I want to hear it again. Just this one last time... I want to hear your eternal promise to me.**_"

He closed his eyes, deep in thought. "I, Reynald Takahashi, promise to you, Astoria Takahashi... The woman I love and cherish before everything, that you will see me again. I promise to love you, hold you, comfort you, and protect you. Astoria, to put it simply, I love you with every bit of my soul." He smiled at her.

"_**Reynald...**_"

"I-"

He was now interrupted by her lips. When she let go, she stared into his eyes. "I love you Reynald. I'll see you again someday, someday... You promise, right?"

"I promise."

"Then I'll wait. No matter what happens, I'll wait."

She burrowed into his chest again. He held her, rocking her lightly back and forth. He felt guilty for leading her on like this, making her spend the rest of her life waiting for a man who would never come home... But she would see Reynald one day.

"I have to go now. See you soon, okay?" He dried her tears with a hand.

"Okay... Goddess, this is corny, but... Reynald?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

He began to shine with a bright light. "Goodbye, my love."

The light grew in brightness, drowning them out. When it disappeared, Rouge was left lying down on the ground, an unconscious Astoria on his chest. He sat up, and carried her. He brought her inside, and settled her on her bed.

"That was a nice thing you did for her."

He flinched, turning around. Vert had followed him.

"I wanted to give her some closure..."

"You seemed like you enjoyed all that kissing." She replied as they walked out of the house.

"... It felt weird. I feel bad for lying and all that stuff..."

"Don't. You did it all to cheer her up." She smiled.

"... It felt weird kissing someone I barely know." He replied as they made their way to the Basilicom building. "Histoire always told me that it would be something special. But then again, she also kept talking about all this other girly stuff... Yeah, I have no clue what the hell I am talking about."

"Language!" She hit him lightly on the arm.

"Sorry, sorry." He apologized, smiling at her.

"So... You're curious, I'm curious... We ask the same question... What's a kiss really supposed to feel like...?"

"I'm going for passionate, emotion filled... I have no other idea. I don't really know about this kind of thing."

"But don't you have a fascination with soap operas?"

He flinched. "Who told you that?"

"Histoire."

He grumbled.

"So... Just to try it... Would you like to try it with me?"

"... Try what?" He asked, focusing on something else rather than his cruel and unusual torture methods he wanted to try on monsters and in a few cases, Histoire.

"... A kiss."

"What is this, some cheap romance/action novel you can find off the internet?"

"Maybe, maybe not. It could even be based of a game that's about this world. But seriously... Do you want to try?"

"... Sure, why not..." He said hesitantly.

They stopped walking, looking at each other. They were silent, unmoving.

"... So, how do we do this?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"In video games, it's the heroine that makes the first move."

"Okay then miss heroine, thanks for volunteering." He smiled.

"No fair!"

"All's fair in love and war." He smirked.

"This isn't war." She pouted.

"It's neither love."

"You sure about that?" She smirked herself, moving closer and in his face.

"I'm sure." He quipped, inching forward.

Soon, there were inches between the two, as they stared each other down.

"Ladies first?" He said, grinning.

"I don't mind if you do." She smiled.

"Hey!"

They broke out into laughter. After they calmed down, they looked each other in the eyes again.

"So do what we feel like?"

"I'm pretty sure that's how it works."

There was silence yet again.

"... Maybe we'll try again later-"

He was cut off by Vert's lips. Like very clichéd, trashy romantic fiction, he kissed back with all the vigour in his soul. Like I said, clichéd. But the emotion was there, it was there alright.

Just a myriad of feelings exchanged between the two. He never felt this way before. New experiences were constantly documented within the archive of his mind, but this was completely new. Unexplainable, intangible, euphoric, enrapturing, well, to put it in layman's terms, it felt really _**damn**_ good.

They drew apart, looking at each other with their faces on fire. Rouge rubbed the back of his head with his hand, whistling.

"... That was nice." He smiled sheepishly.

"It was... Wasn't it?" She smiled back.

Thoughts ran rampant through his head. "Shall we go?" He held out his arm.

"Let's." She grabbed onto his arm, and together they continued walking.

* * *

><p>"I hear you had a bit of fun last night." Histoire told Rouge as he ate breakfast in his room.<p>

"So what if I did?" He said, sipping coffee.

"I'd say use protection."

He spit-take over the table. "W-Where did you get that idea?-!"

"The blissful smile on Vert's face when we came to wake her up for sleeping in... She also kept murmuring your name."

He flushed, beet red. "We didn't do _**that**_, alright!"

"Would you have liked to?"

He slapped his forehead. "That's private."

_**You can't hide anything from me, Rouge. Or did you forget that mental connection of ours?**_

He swore, face burning up. "I've got something to check." He stood up quickly. "See you later!"

He ran out of the room, as a giggling Histoire watched.

_**Ah, the power of young love.**_

"We're not in love!" He shouted back to her, before storming off.

He wandered the halls of the Basilicom once more, before stopping before the little girl's, Violette's, room. He entered it quietly, to see her still curled up on her bed. Pulling up a chair, he sat down beside her. She twitched, rolling away from him. She was awake.

"Good morning." He smiled at her.

He received a quiet reply. "_Good morning..._"

"Get out of bed, sleepyhead. I want you to meet someone."

* * *

><p>Violette stumbled out of bed, yawning.<p>

"Follow me." Rouge said to her, gesturing for the door. She trotted after the much bigger man, eying him every step of the way. He really had the sibling feeling to him...

"Hey, Histoire! You got a visitor!"

She lingered outside the door to the room, nervous. She had her suspicions as well about this Histoire person. Rouge noticed this and held out a hand. "Don't be afraid. She's not going to hurt you."

She looked at the hand hesitantly before taking it. He led her into the room. She stared with wide eyes at the little girl sitting on a floating book. The girl smiled, looking her over.

"Hello, little one. My name is Histoire." The girl said to her. "I believe Rouge named you Violette, correct?" Violette nodded.

"You must have many questions then... Please, sit. We'll try to answer as many as we can."

Violette looked over where to sit, and opted to sit on the bed. "... Why am I here? What's the purpose of my life?"

Rouge and Histoire shared a look. "No real reason, no real purpose, to be honest, but..." Histoire started off, "Why do _**you**_ think you should be here?"

"I... I don't know."

"If you don't have an answer, then make one. _**Live.**_ It was my answer, when I was put through your situation. For you, you can take after me, or you can do what you wish with your life. You're no weapon, you're no puppet. Just do your own thing." Rouge said to her, smiling.

She looked at him, a thoughtful look gracing her young face. "I'd give it some thought though." He sighed, reaching over to pat her head. She grumbled yet again, this time annoyed rather than pleased.

She prodded the limb with a finger. Then, she prodded it with the tip of a knife she pulled from his pocket.

"**YOUCH!**" He shouted, rubbing his now bleeding arm. Violette snickered a little, grinning, but at the look of pain on his face, she felt a little guilty.

"That's a bad thing to do!" Histoire scolded her, as Rouge rubbed his arm. She hung her head, guiltily. She put the knife down, but somehow cut her finger on the blade. Rouge turned to her quickly, ignoring his wound to check hers.

She brought it closer to herself, trying to stop the flow of blood. It stopped. But not the way you would think it had. As the blood stained her shirt, the two halves of split flesh began to weave together, practically healing the cut.

She had subconsciously used the Regeneration Program built into her body. Violette stared frightened at the cut. Her newly acquired knowledge told her that wasn't normal for a human being. This scared her very much. Rouge held the hand, eying.

"It's okay. It's normal... Well, normal to you and me, anyway." He told her, consoling her. She looked up at him, confused. "Here, look at this..." He held out the cut arm to her.

The flesh wove together, sealing the wound. "There, nothing left." He prodded his arm with his finger, showing no cut. She stared, blinking.

Reaching out and prodding the place the wound once was, there was no damage, but a slight scar. The two of them really were similar, in some way, and not just of circumstance. Her trust of him grew slightly, but not significantly. If he was trying to garner her trust, then he'd have to earn it by trying harder.

...

Though maybe she should lower her expectations, after all, she did stab him and he had even forgiven him after that...

"So... What do you plan to do?" Histoire asked her. "It's your life; I can't control that, but... What do you want to do?"

"... I want to live." She decided. She wanted to experience what life had to offer.

"_I'm glad she can have this choice._" She heard Rouge murmur to Histoire.

"_So am I... You're responsible for her, you know that?_"

"_So are you... So yeah, I guess we are..._" Rouge patted her head, this time met with no resistance. She liked it this time around. She looked into his eyes once again.

The same brotherly compassion radiated from him, the feeling of a sibling-like connection was re-established between them. They were similar, alike in many aspects. Did that make them family? Did that make the little girl sitting on a floating book her family as well?

"Are you my mommy?" She asked Histoire.

"Er, no. CPUs aren't born, they're made." She explained, rubbing her forehead. "Neptune still wants to call me Mom though..."

"..." This put a dent in her logic. "Then is he my brother?" She pointed to Rouge.

"... Technically speaking, yes... Biologically speaking, no..."

She looked at Rouge again. He smiled at that. "I guess we can live with that..." He whistled.

She stared at him. She prodded him once with her finger, to see if this was real. Then she pinched herself. This was no dream.

And her AI informed her that this was no simulation... This was real. Very real. 100% true, harsh and wonderful reality...

Her stomach grumbled with a thunderous sound. "So, you hungry?" He grinned at her. She nodded sheepishly, holding her stomach.

He held out his hand. "Let's go get you something to eat. I bet everyone else is dying to meet you." He chuckled a bit at the sarcasm of his words. Precaution danced in his eyes, but disappeared in a flash of mirth.

Though the feeling of precaution still lingered, Rouge still held out his hand. She had to commend him, for his courage and his audacity. Courageous, for offering participation in such an action with a person, er, child, who could kill him easily behind his back, and very audacious, for actually having the nerve to assume her newly installed pride would let her do such a thing. Her conscious and sentience put her thoughts as this: _**I'm a big girl, damn it! I won't stoop this low!**_

She was eight! Or at least her body was that of an eight year old... Her conscious was only hours old, but her installed maturity was that of a middle aged woman. Then again, eight year old body here.

She decided to amuse him. And give herself a shot at being her body's age. She gingerly reached out for his hand. The much bigger hand enveloped hers.

It was a warm, caring gesture. But for some reason, she loved it. "Shall we go?" She nodded at his question, a strange twitch to her face.

Her databanks called it a "smile". A physical display of the reaction to positive emotion, or so the AI told her. It was a pleasant feeling. Maybe she would do this more often, this "smile" thing.

She smiled widely as Rouge led her out of the room, Histoire following behind. She would continue to smile as he led her to new experiences, new emotions... She would continue to smile for a long time. She expected a lot to come from her relationship with her "family".

And she expected a lot to come from her new life.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2 Complete! Not much to say here. The story will pick up even more next chapter, with much more action, drama, etc...<strong>**And so, R/R, enjoy life, read great fiction, and let the creative juices flow. And not only for you lemon writers. Aw well. – EthernalRain**


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